1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic musical instruments and recording media storing computer programs for such electronic musical instruments, more specifically to an electronic musical instrument or auto-play apparatus having an auto-play function for playing music based on auto-play data in accordance with a player operating an operation piece such as a key or pad.
2. Description of the Related Art
Auto-play apparatus have been proposed in which several units of auto-play data are prepared beforehand and, for automatically playing a musical composition, the corresponding unit of the auto-play data is read out successively every time a player operates an arbitrary operation piece such as a key or pad. In such an auto-play apparatus, every time an operation piece is operated once, data on one note (a set of notes in case of a chord) is read out. The player operates an operation piece, e.g., depresses an arbitrary key on a keyboard repeatedly in a rhythm or at a tempo suitable for the musical composition to play.
An auto-play apparatus with a note navigation function is known, which is provided with a display unit to show operation timings for depressing a key or the like based on the corresponding auto-play data. Such a display unit is provided, e.g., in an operation panel of the electronic musical instrument in which the auto-play apparatus is installed. FIG. 1 shows an example of such a note navigation display made on a prior art display unit.
Referring to FIG. 1, liquid-crystal display unit 101 provided, e.g., in an operation panel of an electronic musical instrument makes a navigation display to show operation timings for depressing a key or the like. Liquid-crystal display unit 101 of this prior art is capable of displaying laterally at most sixteen characters of ASCII codes or registered characters. It shows only a single line corresponding to the period of four quarter notes.
More specifically, black circles (xe2x97xaf) are displayed at positions selected from among the sixteen positions for sixteen characters so that operation timings are indicated with the positions of black circles in the direction from the left to the right in the picture of liquid-crystal display unit 101. When auto-playing corresponding to the displayed line is completed, the display changes to the next line.
By this prior art note navigation display, however, since it shows only a single line of operation timings corresponding to the period of four quarter notes, the player can know operation timings in the immediate future only. Besides, the navigation display changes to the next line after the player depresses a key at the last operation timing displayed on the presently displayed line. At that time, the player can not know the next operation timing until the display changes. This makes it hard to play.
By this prior art note navigation display, the player can know sensuously that the time interval for depressing a key is long where the interval between black circles is great while the time interval is short where the interval between black circles is small. But, by such indication only with black circles, the player can not clearly know the musical time pattern of the auto-play data. Further, it is hard to know which beat of the time pattern the position of each black circle belongs to. These also make it hard to play.
Besides, such a prior art note navigation display shows only operation timings with the positions of black circles. Consequently, when a player likes to play with singing the song corresponding to his or her playing musical composition but forgets the words, he or she must see the navigation display given on liquid-crystal display unit 101 of the electronic musical instrument and the words printed on a paper, alternately. This makes it very hard to sing and play.
It is the first object of the present invention to provide an electronic musical instrument wherein the information content of a navigation display for operation timings is increased to make it easy to play.
It is the second object of the present invention to provide an electronic musical instrument wherein a player can easily play with singing in accordance with a navigation display even if he or she forgets the words.
According to the present invention, an electronic musical instrument having an auto-play function in which auto-playing is performed with reading out a predetermined quantity of auto-play data prepared beforehand, in order every time an operation piece is operated, comprises guide display means for making a guide display based on said auto-play data for indicating operation timings for operating said operation piece, said guide display comprising a plurality of display lines.
According to this feature of the present invention, a display unit can display more pieces of guide information at once than the prior art display unit, and can make a guide display to a fairly far future. Hence, a player can play with grasping even operation timings in the fairly far future. As a result, it becomes easy to play.
According to another aspect of the present invention, said guide display means changes one or more display lines presently displayed, all operation timings on which had been executed, into new display lines based on said auto-play data when a predetermined operation timing on a predetermined display line is executed.
For example, said guide display means may change the first display line presently displayed into a new first display line when a predetermined operation timing on the last display line presently displayed is executed, and the display lines after the first display line presently displayed into new display lines when a predetermined operation timing on the new first display line is executed.
According to this feature of the present invention, while a player plays in accordance with the guide display of a display line, one or more display lines, all operation timings on which had been executed, can be changed beforehand into new display lines following the display line presently executed. Hence, a guide display for a future can always be given with enough time. As a result, it becomes easier to grasp each operation timing and it becomes still easier to play.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, said guide display means displays measure lines and beat lines based on said auto-play data in addition to the display for indicating operation timings.
According to this feature of the present invention, measure lines and beat lines are displayed together with a display for indicating operation timings. Hence, the information content of the guide display is increased. As a result, it becomes easier to grasp each operation timing.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, in an electronic musical instrument having an auto-play function in which auto-playing is performed with reading out a predetermined quantity of auto-play data prepared beforehand, in order every time an operation piece is operated, said auto-play data includes note data and word data on the words of the corresponding song, and guide display means is provided for displaying words based on word data in said auto-play data, and making a guide display based on word data and note data in said auto-play data for indicating operation timings for operating said operation piece with a predetermined mark moving with bounding on said words displayed synchronously with operations of said operation piece.
According to this feature of the present invention, a guide display for indicating operation timings and a display for words of the corresponding song can be made at the same time on a display unit of the electronic musical instrument. Hence, when a player likes to play with singing, he or she can see both of the guide display and the words at once without turning his or her eyes upon them alternately. As a result, it becomes easy both to sing and to play.
Besides, although an operation piece should be operated when the mark moving with bounding on the words comes to a predetermined position, a player can easily grasp the operation timing by observing the movement of the mark. Hence, it becomes easier to grasp each operation timing. Further, the player can clearly know what part of the words he or she should sing at the time of the operation. As a result, it becomes easy both to sing and to play.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, said guide display means calculates a distance and a level of one jump of said predetermined mark with the number of characters constituting said word data, and a speed in the jump of said predetermined mark with the step time included in said note data and tempo data having been set, and makes a moving display of said predetermined mark based on the calculation results.
According to this feature of the present invention, the distance, level and speed of one jump of the mark are calculated in accordance with the length of the words, a tempo having been set, etc., and a moving display of the mark is made based on the calculation results. Hence, guide displays can be made according to various kinds of auto-play data and tempos variously set. As a result, a guide display can be realized according to any player""s taste.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, said guide display means makes a display of said predetermined mark jumping vertically at the first note position with a word after the position corresponding to the portion in said auto-play data that there is note data but no word data corresponding to the note data.
Alternatively, said guide display means inserts an arbitrary mark to the position corresponding to the portion in said auto-play data that there is note data but no word data corresponding to the note data, and displays words including said arbitrary mark as part of them with a moving display of said predetermined mark.
According to this feature of the present invention, even at the position corresponding to the portion in auto-play data that there is note data but no word data corresponding to the note data, the mark for indicating operation timings dose not stop but jumps vertically or jumps at the arbitrary mark inserted there. As a result, operation timings are successively indicated and the next operation timing can surely be known.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, said guide display means makes a display comprising a plurality of display lines for words and said predetermined mark moving on the words.
In this case, said guide display means may change one or more display lines for words presently displayed, all operation timings on which had been executed, into new display lines for words based on said auto-play data when a predetermined operation timing on a predetermined display line is executed.
For example, said guide display means changes the first display line for words presently displayed into a new first display line for words when a predetermined operation timing on the last display line presently displayed is executed, and the display lines for words after the first display line presently displayed into new display lines for words when a predetermined operation timing on the new first display line is executed.
According to this feature of the present invention, a display unit can display more pieces of guide information at once than the prior art display unit, and can make a guide display to a fairly far future. Hence, a player can play with grasping even operation timings in the fairly far future. As a result, it becomes easy to play.
Besides, while the player plays in accordance with the guide display of a display line, one or more display lines for words, all operation timings on which had been executed, can be changed beforehand into new display lines for words following the display line presently executed. Hence, a guide display for a future can always be given with enough time. As a result, it becomes easier to grasp each operation timing and it becomes still easier to play.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the electronic musical instrument further comprises selection means for a player selecting one as said predetermined mark from among kinds of marks prepared beforehand.
Or, the electronic musical instrument may comprises mark generation means for a player freely making a mark as said predetermined mark.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, in an electronic musical instrument having an auto-play function in which auto-playing is performed with reading out a predetermined quantity of auto-play data prepared beforehand, in order every time an operation piece is operated, said auto-play data includes note data and word data on the words of the corresponding song, and said instrument comprises guide display means for displaying words with a static guide display for indicating operation timings for operating said operation piece.
According to this feature of the present invention, a guide display for indicating operation timings and a display for words of the corresponding song can be made at the same time on a display unit of the electronic musical instrument. Hence, when a player likes to play with singing, he or she can see both of the guide display and the words at once without turning his or her eyes upon them alternately.